Daphne Bramham: Toothless International Olympic Committee ensures that Russia can get away with anti-gay law

Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun columnist08.02.2013

Russian paratroopers scuffle with gay right activist Kirill Kalugin, centre, who stood protesting against gay rights violations at the Dvortsovaya square in St. Petersburg on August 2, 2013 during the celebration of the Day of Paratroops.

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Human rights were the big story of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing right up until the time the athletes, spectators and sports writers arrived. All that mattered then was the big, happy spectacle and the daily tally of gold medals. And, after everyone went home, the Chinese went back to business as usual. Just as the Russians will.

Russia is obviously the bad guy in all of this. But the International Olympic Committee should be in the spotlight as well.

There is a well-crafted Olympic charter espousing equality and human rights, but the IOC has never been bold enough to enforce it.

Before Russia and China were chosen as host countries, IOC members were well aware that both have terrible human rights records.

While the IOC contends that athletes, spectators and journalists covering the games will be exempt from the anti-gay law, its members and staff negotiated what seems to be an absolutely toothless, useless agreement. Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko says outside the Olympic zone, anyone who spreads “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors whether it’s online, wearing a rainbow pin, carrying a banner or holding hands could be fined up to $3,125, jailed for up to 15 days and deported.

The IOC could have at least ensured there would be a pride house in the Olympic zone, as there was in both London and Vancouver. But it didn’t. It left it to the national Olympic committee and, pretty clearly, Russian committee members weren’t about to risk their own careers, safety or security by providing a safe and comfortable place for gay athletes to meet.

There are calls for a boycott. But, as the Russians well know, the IOC has never cancelled an Olympics even when close to half the member countries refused to participate. And the Russian government knows better than most that not a single country targeted has ever been swayed by a boycott.

The IOC didn’t cancel the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow even though only 80 countries showed up and nearly 60 — including Canada — stayed away to protest the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. It was nine years before Russia finally retreated.

The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal went ahead even though 22 African nations boycotted the games as a protest against New Zealand’s rugby tour of South Africa during apartheid. It was another 18 years before apartheid ended.

The efficacy of boycotts aside, there’s also considerable hypocrisy among the potential boycotting nations. If rights are so important, why didn’t countries stay away from Beijing? It’s probably because trade almost always trumps human rights.

And, if the United States boycotts these Games, it’s as likely to be because Russia took in Edward Snowden, who leaked secret documents, than out of concern for human rights.

And while Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is all over the gay rights’ issue, where were he and the government when the IOC refused to allow women to compete in ski jumping at the Vancouver Olympics? Why haven’t Canada, Baird and others protested the IOC’s failure to expel countries that don’t have women’s teams and don’t even allow women to participate in sports?

There is no doubt that the law targeting gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people is hateful and could incite violence, as Baird has said.

But lost in the international outrage is that it is only a small piece of Russia’s egregious human rights record. Why aren’t we also talking about the forced evictions of Sochi residents to make way for Olympic construction, random detentions, the jailing of dissidents including chess champion Gary Kasparov and members of the punk band Pussy Riot, the harassment and threats against journalists?

The bottom line is that the Russian government doesn’t give a fig about human rights; the IOC is little better. Both need to change.

Yet rather than a boycott that denies athletes a chance to live a dream that they’ve spent a lifetime pursuing, let them play.

For people who care about human rights, a more powerful message could be sent to both Russia and the IOC, if we voted with our feet and our wallets, refusing to go to Russia and refusing to support the Olympic Games in anyway — even if it means turning off our TV sets during the gold-medal hockey games.

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Daphne Bramham: Toothless International Olympic Committee ensures that Russia can get away with anti-gay law

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